This invention relates generally to a portable, self-supporting baby carrier apparatus. More specifically, the invention concerns an apparatus that is easily set up or collapsed and stored, and when it is set up, it becomes a free-standing, self-supporting baby jumper or the like with a solid support structure.
Swing sets of various shapes and sizes have been in existence for many years. Generally, they have four legs that are buried in the ground or set in cement to fix them in a given location. These structures are heavy and unwieldy and, at the very least, very difficult to move. Smaller, potentially portable swings and accompanying frames exist, as described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,697,477 to Welsh, 3,128,076 to Di Pasqua, 3,256,016 to Berlin, and 3,794,317 to Barrett. However, these types of available, portable swings and the like are very unstable and tip over easily. Commercially available portable frames having springs and baby jumper seats are particularly unstable in general. The weight and momentum of an infant pressing against a floor to bounce up and down in a portable jumper merely having four legs may cause an apparatus to "walk" across the floor or to fall over.
Also available are jumping devices of the type having a seat suspended by springs from a stationary location, typically a door frame, such as the commercially available "Johnny Jump-Up" device. While this structure is stable, it is not portable and is limited to only a few possible locations for mounting. See generally U.S. Pat. No. 838,072 to Benner. These configurations also allow an infant too much lateral freedom of movement as the infant may easily harm itself by accidentally bumping into the door frame.